Volusia, Flagler residents join 'Awake the State' rallies

Tuesday's rallies were designed to inform voters about the 2011 voting law that reduced early voting in Florida and convince lawmakers to overturn the law.

TONY HOLTSTAFF WRITER

PALM COAST -- Dan Parham was walking gingerly Tuesday but he had a determined look on his face. He wasn't going to let a recent car accident and a heart procedure keep him from taking part in what he considered to be an important political rally. In spite of his ailments and doctor's orders to take it easy, Parham was standing at the corner of Palm Coast and Belle Terre parkways for the “Awake the State” rally designed to inform voters about the 2011 law that reduced early voting in Florida. Parham called the law, which reduced early voting from 14 to 10 days and closed it on the third day before an election involving a state or federal office, undemocratic. “It was all designed to suppress the vote,” said Parham, a 70-year-old U.S. Army veteran. “Any time you suppress the vote, you're going against what our country is supposed to be about.” Parham helped organize the Flagler rally, which was held in concert with other demonstrations across the state, including one at the corner of West International Speedway Boulevard and South Nova Road in Daytona Beach. The events were organized to coincide with the first day of Florida's legislative session. In Daytona Beach, protesters said they weren't taking Gov. Rick Scott at his word on restoring early voting days. “He says a lot of things now,” said Jeanne Young, a retired teacher from Ormond Beach. “I want things on paper. “That's why we're here — to make sure he follows through with it,” she said. Protestors said they hoped to convince lawmakers to overturn the law, which they said caused longer lines, longer waits and turned the state into a national laughingstock during the 2012 election. And members of the state House seemed in a mood to do just that, voting 118-1 Tuesday afternoon to pass a major elections bill that, among other things, would increase early voting days, put length limits on summaries of some ballot initiatives, and increase early voting locations. Rep. John Tobia, R-Melbourne Beach, cast the only “no” vote. Democrats praised House Speaker Will Weatherford for making the issue a priority, and Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, for crafting the bill aimed at making it easier to vote. Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach, said he knew Weatherford's overall agenda, as spelled out in the speaker's earlier-in-the-day opening speech, would mean this would be a rare opportunity for harmony. “Judging by your speech earlier, I know this is not going to last long,” said Taylor. “We're just going to revel in the moment here.” The rally in Palm Coast didn't meet expectations in terms of turnout. Parham said he had hoped to see 100 or more. Thirty minutes into the two-hour rally, there were 15 people standing along the intersection. A few motorists drove by honking their horns and pumping their fists to show their support. Progress Florida, one of the organizers of the statewide rallies, called the 2011 voting law “anti-middle class” and critics have accused Republican lawmakers of deliberately making it more difficult for people to vote.“As we saw in the last year, you've got to ask yourself, why did 19 states feel it necessary to change their voter laws?" Ormond Beach attorney Jerry Bolkcom asked rhetorically. “When you look at those states and see they're all controlled by Republicans, you might conclude that there's a concerted effort going on to suppress the vote.”Diana LeBrun of Palm Coast brought with her a stack of homemade signs conveying her frustration with the political leadership in Tallahassee. She said she read a news report that suggested more than 200,000 potential voters were unable to cast a ballot during the last general election because of the restricting laws that have been put into place. “It's shameful to have that go on in this day and age,” said LeBrun. “It hurts my heart, to tell you the truth.”